The US said Ghana has “denied or unreasonably delayed accepting their nationals ordered removed from the United States.”
But responding to the accusations and sanctions, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said it was disappointed and added that such allegations were baseless.
The ministry also said, “the sanctions imposed on Ghana are without any justification whatsoever.”
It added that it had “always cooperated with the US authorities in the processing and removal of Ghanaian citizens who have been cited for deportation.”
The statement added that they only organise a thorough verification of the purported Ghanaians earmarked for verification.
Earlier on Ghana’s US embassy had indicated that the US was not providing enough documentation to show that the intended deportees were indeed Ghanaian.
“All countries undertake these processes to accept their deported citizens from all over the world and it is not peculiar to Ghana and the US,” the ministry reminded.
The ministry further indicated that Ghana’s mission in Washington has interviewed 19 out of 28 applications it has received from the US and 11 traveling certificates issued for their travel to Ghana.
The remaining persons are “as a result of doubts on their Ghanaian nationality, ill health and pending litigation in US courts.”
The statement added that though the US has said 7000 persons are engaged in deportation proceedings, “there has not been any confirmation by the US authorities of a final court order for their removal in accordance with the US’ own laws.”
Meanwhile, Ghana is also concerned about the poor treatment of Ghanaian citizens deported to Ghana from the US, which runs contrary to international statutes.
“It is therefore surprising that the US Authorities would ignore the international protocols that need to be observed in matters of deportation and make allegations of lack of cooperation by Ghana.”
The Ministry finally said it would institute appropriate measures within the context of international law and bilateral relations.
